The Hip Bone's Connected to the.......
Well, technically the hip bone is made up of the head of the femur forming a ball-and-socket type joint with the acetabulum of the ilium. Don't believe me? Check the wiki site. Because, yeah, if it is on Wiki, it is gospel truth. I'm sure there are ligaments and tendons and such that are responsible for keeping the hip joint in tact and moving properly. Given that it has been ten years since I've worked as an Xray tech (rather insulting term for a Radiologic Technologist, but that's a story for another day), I really can't fill you in on the details. Just Google it. Being a joint, I'm sure there is some synovial fluid and cartilage in there somewhere, too. Otherwise, how would we get arthritic hips without that stuff being there to disappear, leaving bone to grind on bone. (And not in a good way. Huh? Did I just say that?).
Joints are amazing things and not because of the mellow and/or euphoric feeling they leave behind. Wait, wrong subject again, and one that I know nothing about. Swear to God. The one fascinating thing about joints--the anatomical kind--is that they move. They allow the body to move. My fingers are able to type right now because the joints between my finger bones (phalanages or digits, for those techies out there) and metacarpals allow for movement. If they weren't allowed to move, what you would see on the screen as a result of rigid hands tapping on the keyboard would look something like this: ;aisorjioarjaijaggajasfkg 'jgpj jasgjafjasoiupbjgtlgthhiogaglktjlthuiooiprgkl;fgshtuyoputykl;tdjio;u09[qw40-4kg.
But it doesn't look like that, so thank goodness for joints that move. What does this have to do with braces? Well, since you asked, I'll tell you. I'll give my answer in the form of a question, Alex. If teeth move, and teeth are technically bones joined to other bones, why are they not considered joints? Think about it in terms of the hip joint. The root of the teeth would be akin to the head of the femur; whereas the indentation (not a techie term) in the mandible (lower jaw bone) or maxillae (upper jaw bones) would be considered the acetabulae. The gums would be like cartilage and synovial fluid, meant to cushion the joint and prevent bone from rubbing on bone, again, not in a good way. There is actually a ligament involved called the periodontal ligament that attaches the teeth to the alveolar bones (a techie term), or the "sockets" in which the teeth sit. The point of this ligament is to allow for the chewing motion that allows one to enjoy double chocolate brownies to the point of euphoria. DUH!
So there--we have synovial fluid, cartilage, ligaments, tendon-like tissues and bone inserted into bone, all bundled together with the ability of these bones (the teeth) to move. This movement can occur either through natural events, like losing a baby tooth, getting old and hormones (fess up, ladies) or by unnatural means, for instance, getting your teeth knocked out by that fastball that was a little too high and inside. (Spring training--had to include a baseball reference). And also for instance, through the pulling and tugging of metallic inanimate objects called brace brackets and wires forged through the blood and sweat of evil gnomes. In any event, if the movement of teeth involves bone moving within bone, why, then are they not commonly referred to as joints? Anyone? Anyone?
For your viewing pleasure: http://ocsupportgroup.ning.com/video/how-do-teeth-move-during
